Management Team
Jean-Guillaume Lafay
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Co-founder of Mablink Bioscience
Jean-Guillaume Lafay, after graduating with a BSc in Biochemistry, took a master’s degree in Medicinal Organic Chemistry from the University of Lyon (France). Before setting up Mablink, he structured and developed a French biotechnology company from 2010 to 2018.
He has a solid entrepreneurial background and a broad experience in management. His expertise in global strategy and finance & partnership management makes him a key asset of the company.
Dr. Warren Viricel, PharmD, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer (CSO)
Co-founder of Mablink Bioscience
Dr. Warren Viricel holds a PharmD and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering, respectively from the University of Lyon (France) and the University of Montreal (Canada). Upon his return to France in 2016 he founded Lina Therapeutics and developed the proprietary “hydrophilic drug-linker ADC platform”, with the help of Prof. Joseph and Prof. Dumontet, two leading names in the field. The technology was entirely transferred to Mablink in 2018.
Warren’s experience in medicinal organic chemistry, bioconjugation, pharmacology and antibody-drug conjugates makes him a vital asset of the company.
Stanislas Sordet
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Stanislas Sordet holds an MBA from the Burgundy School of Business (France). He started his career as a Senior Auditor at PwC and then spent 15 years at Sanofi Pasteur MSD, where he ended up as the European Director of Finance & Services. In 2017, he started his own firm Inflexio and then joined Acting to help startups as an interim or part-time financial director.
At Mablink, Stanislas brings his extensive experience in financial and corporate development to developing and piloting the management and financial controls. His recent activities helping innovative startups make him a key advisor to the CEO for fundraising strategy and financial engineering topics.
Frédérique Brune, PharmD
Chief Development Officer (CDO)
Frédérique Brune has over 20 years’ experience in the field of innovative drug development. Before joining Mablink, Frédérique was VP for Development CMC and Supply Chain at Innate Pharma, a global clinical-stage oncology-focused biotech company developing therapeutic antibodies that harness the immune system to fight cancer. Before that she spent 10 years in multiple Development Leadership positions at LFB, where she notably oversaw the successful registration of 2 innovative therapeutics. She eventually became LFB’s Quality Director of Bioproduction. Previously, she was Analytical Manager and Project Leader at Pierre-Fabre.
At Mablink she has the responsibility of the scientific and preclinical development teams. Her primary objective is to oversee all the operations necessary to obtain INDs for Mablink’s pipeline ADCs.
Frédérique holds a PharmD from Paris-Sud University and an MS in Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology from Pierre & Marie Curie University (now part of Sorbonne University, Paris, France).
Dr. Lenka Kyrych Sadilkova, PhD
Head of Preclinical Research & Development
Dr. Kyrych Sadilkova started her career with academic institutions, working on bioconjugation and recombinant proteins projects and then on PK/PD modeling.
Lenka brings her skills in non-clinical pharmacology and team management that she has gained during her 9 years at SOTIO Biotech a.s., a Czech biotech company focusing on the development of innovative oncology immunotherapies. After several years as a Pharmacology Lead, she was promoted to the position of Director of Pharmacology responsible for non-clinical development of several ADCs, including one already in Phase I.
An expert in ADCs with a specific experience in target validation and antibody development, she leads Mablink’s biology laboratory, in close collaboration with the CSO and the CDO, to support the development of Mablink’s ADC candidates.
Lenka holds a PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a PhD in Gerontology, both from Charles University (Prague, Czech Republic).
Dr. Delphine Bregeon, PhD, PMP®
Head of CMC Operations
Delphine Bregeon brings over 15 years’ experience in biotechnology. She previously worked at Innate Pharma, a global clinical-stage oncology-focused biotech company developing therapeutic antibodies that harness the immune system to fight cancer. At Innate, she worked for several years as Scientist and R&D Project Manager developing ADC site-specific conjugation technology before moving to Pharmaceutical Operations where she was in charge of CMC and supply project management on early-stage, late-stage and commercial programs.
At Mablink she has the responsibility of the management and coordination of all external CMC activities supporting the development of the PSARlink™ linker platform, and of the multiple drug candidates stemming from it.
Delphine holds a PhD in Organic, Mineral and Industrial Chemistry from the University of Caen (France) and a PMP® certification (Project Management Professional).
Edouard Leroy
Chief Business Officer (CBO)
Edouard Leroy holds a master’s degree in Physiology and Physiopathology from the Sorbonne University of Paris (France). He began his career at Servier in a strategic intelligence team. He then joined a biotech company in the field of antibody development before pursuing his career as a sales manager for several global providers in Life Sciences solutions. Overall, Edouard has built up a professional network including the main players in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries in Europe and North America.
He joined Mablink in 2020 to lead the business development and portfolio management activities.
Dr. Valérie Attuil, PhD
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Dr. Valérie Attuil holds a PhD in immunology from the University of Lyon (France). She worked in academia for 10 years, specializing in virology and immunology. In 2010, with her strong scientific background, she joined a biotech company, which develops polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies, where she worked for 8 years as a product manager. She was liaising between R&D, production and marketing. She was also responsible for developing new products and monitoring customer projects.
Today in Mablink, she is in contact with suppliers on matters such as overall workflow and lab processes.
David Doreau
Chief Quality Officer (CQO)
David Doreau holds an engineering degree in biotechnology from the University of Technology of Compiègne (France). In 2012 he joined a French biotech company developing research-grade antibodies.
Before joining Mablink Bioscience in 2021, he spent 3 years working as a LIMS functional administrator in the Quality Excellence division at Sanofi Pasteur’s production site in Marcy l’Etoile (France).
Board of Directors
David Sourdive
Chairman
David Sourdive, PhD, co-founded Cellectis, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. He is the current Executive Vice President for CMC & Manufacturing (formerly EVP for Strategic Initiatives) and is a member of its Board of Directors. Dr. Sourdive combines extensive scientific expertise with experience in managing industrial programs, bringing innovative technologies to industrial fruition. In addition to his role at Cellectis, Dr. Sourdive has also served on the board of directors of the Mediterranean Institute for Life Sciences.
David graduated from France’s École Polytechnique, earned his PhD in Molecular Virology at the Institut Pasteur (France) and completed a research fellowship in the department of Microbiology and Immunology of Emory University (Georgia, USA).
Graziano Seghezzi
Director
Graziano Seghezzi, PhD, is a managing partner at Sofinnova Partners, which he joined in 2006, and is an active member of the investment team for the Sofinnova Capital Strategy.
Graziano serves on the Board of Directors of several companies he helped create and finance, including Mission Therapeutics, Crescendo Biologics, Hotspot Therapeutics, Polyneuron and Erydel. He is responsible for a number of substantial exits, including Corvidia Therapeutics, which was sold to Novo Nordisk for €2.1 billion in 2020.
He has also been the main driver behind Sofinnova Partners’ growing presence in his native Italy, establishing the country’s first biotech accelerator, BiovelocITA, in 2015, and the Sofinnova Telethon Fund in 2018.
Graziano started his career in venture capital in 2001 at Sofinnova Partners and was at Index Ventures from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, he spent five years working in academic research at New York University’s School of Medicine, studying oncology and cardiovascular diseases.
Graziano holds a PhD in genetics and microbiology from the University of Pavia (Italy), and an MBA from RSM-Erasmus University (The Netherlands).
Florian Denis
Director
Florian Denis is an investment director at Elaia, which he joined in 2019 with a life sciences background, bringing almost 5 years of investment experience. Before joining Elaia, he operated at Auriga Partners where he invested and served on the Board of Directors of several French biotechnology companies such as Theranexus (ALTHX) and VitaDX. More recently, Florian worked in the Equity Research division of Gilbert Dupont (Société Générale) where he covered biotech / medtech / cleantech companies.
Florian holds an MSc from Sup’Biotech Paris and an MSc in MTI (Technology and Innovation Management) from Paris-Dauphine, ENS, Mines ParisTech.
Valérie Calenda
Director
Valérie Calenda started her career as research scientist in Hematology and Virology at the Institut National de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM). After collaborating on a French/US research program relating to HIV at Davis University, she joined Transgene S.A., an affiliated company of Institut Mérieux, focusing on gene therapy and immunotherapy. She then led a spin-off project in cardio-vascular therapeutic area before collaborating with a Paris-based seed Venture Capital firm. Valérie also managed several biotech clinical-stage product developments within the infectious and oncology disease areas, from pre-IND to Phase 2. This led her to manage both in-licensing and out-licensing activities, including global license agreement and alliance management with Hoffman La Roche, acquisition of biotech assets in Europe and in the US.
Valérie joined Mérieux Equity Partners at inception in January 2010 and has focused on Capital Innovation investments, supporting and serving on the board of more than 10 companies since 2010 in Europe and North America. She has also been actively involved in structuring and launching M2Care, an industrial accelerator for start-ups operating in the Healthcare and Nutrition sectors.
Valérie received her PhD in Pharmacology from the University of Marseille.
Jean-Guillaume Lafay
Director
Jean-Guillaume Lafay, after graduating with a BSc in Biochemistry, took a master’s degree in Medicinal Organic Chemistry from the University of Lyon (France). Before setting up Mablink, he structured and developed a French biotechnology company from 2010 to 2018.
He has a solid entrepreneurial background and a broad experience in management. His expertise in global strategy and finance & partnership management makes him a key asset of the company.
Bervin Bouani
Observer
Currently Investment Director at Turenne Capital, Bervin Bouani is in charge of the Sham Innovation Santé fund. He serves on the boards of several companies including HalioDx, Brainever, Orega Biotech and Pixee Medical. Prior to joining Turenne Capital in 2014, Bervin spent six years as an asset manager at SHAM, an insurer specialized in the risks of healthcare companies, where he was involved in the development of the private equity business. He began his career as a junior financial engineer at CM-CIC.
Bervin holds a master’s degree in Finance (Catholic University of Lille, and EDHEC Business School).
Scientific Advisory Board
Dr. Warren Viricel, PharmD, PhD
Scientific Advisory Board Chairman
Co-founder of Mablink Bioscience
Dr. Warren Viricel holds a PharmD and a PhD in “Biomedical Engineering”, respectively from the University of Lyon (France) and the University of Montreal (Canada). Upon his return to France in 2016 he founded Lina Therapeutics and developed the proprietary “hydrophilic drug-linker ADC platform”, with the help of Prof. Joseph and Prof. Dumontet, two leading names in the field. The technology was entirely transferred to Mablink in 2018.
Warren’s experience in medicinal organic chemistry, bioconjugation, pharmacology and antibody-drug conjugates makes him a vital asset of the company.
Prof. Isabelle Ray-Coquard, MD, PhD
Scientific Advisory Board member
Prof. Isabelle Ray-Coquard is Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Lyon (France), as well as a medical oncologist at the Centre Léon Bérard, a healthcare facility dedicated to cancer care and research. She is also deeply involved in translational and clinical research, especially pertaining to gynecological cancers. She is and has been leading several national research networks (GINECO, ENGOT, GCIG). Prof. Ray-Coquard is also working for the industry on clinical studies, committees, and other meetings (e.g. Roche, AstraZeneca, PharmaMar, Genmab, Pfizer, Tesaro/GSK, Clovis, Mersana, Seagen, BMS and MSD).
Prof. Ray-Coquard is the current international principal investigator of 10 clinical studies, the PI of 23 multicenter studies and has participated, or is participating, as investigator in more than 120 other therapeutic trials. Since 2005, she has also been a member of several independent data monitoring committees regarding therapeutic trials in oncology.
Dr. Peter De Waele, PhD
Scientific Advisory Board member
Dr. Peter De Waele is the founder of Advanced Therapies Consulting and has been a consultant to the industry and European Commission since 2006. Peter has held different management positions, including Vice-President of R&D and IP at Celyad and Chief Technology Officer at CellTran. As Chief Operating Officer of XCELLentis (which he founded) and Chief Therapeutics Officer of Innogenetics, he was responsible for several multicenter international phase I and II clinical trials with monoclonal antibodies and other advanced biotechnology products.
Peter holds a master’s degree in biochemistry and physiology and a PhD in “Molecular Biology” from the University of Ghent (Belgium), where he worked on the generation of antibody-toxin conjugates targeting tumor-associated antigens.
Dr. Stephane Moutel, PhD
Scientific Advisory Board member
Dr. Stéphane Moutel holds a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Orléans (France) and a PMP® certification with more than 20 years’ experience in biopharmaceutical companies. In 2001, Stéphane joined OM Pharma in Switzerland, where he first worked in the early phase drug development for small-molecule immunomodulators. Then he went on to manage and coordinate all external CMC activities of the preclinical development of some vaccine adjuvants. In 2017, Stéphane worked for Novimmune as CMC Project Manager and led the CMC development of bispecific antibodies.
Stéphane then joined Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, a company which in July 2019 acquired Gamifant(R) and related assets from Novimmune. He works as Head of CMC Project Management and manages CMC projects at the late stage development in the immunology (Gamifant® / emapalumab) and hematology (Efanesoctocog alfa/BIVV001 and Doptelet®) fields.
Dr. Luc Otten, MD, PhD
Scientific Advisory Board member
Dr. Luc A. Otten is the founder of Otten Life Sciences Consulting. He brings a rare mix of expertise from more than 20 years in healthcare encompassing medical training, academic research, equity research on biotech companies, healthcare investment for a venture fund and management positions in several biotech companies. Luc is a member of the Board of Directors of Netris Pharma (Lyon, France), a clinical-stage immuno-oncology company.
Luc holds a medical doctorate and PhD in biology from the University of Geneva (Switzerland). Later, he published the first genetic animal model of histiocytosis and worked on generating peptide-drug conjugates. As an equity analyst, he covered European biotech companies developing monoclonal antibodies (Ablynx, BioInvent, Genmab, MorphoSys).
Prof. Charles Dumontet, MD, PhD
Scientific Advisory Board member
Co-founder of Mablink Bioscience
Prof. Charles Dumontet is Professor of Hematology at the University of Lyon (France), Deputy Director of the Lyon Cancer Research Center (CRCL), in which he is also the Director of the Oncopharmacology laboratory and Medical Doctor in Hematology at the Lyon Sud Hospital. He is the author of more than 300 peer-reviewed scientific publications and several patents.
Prof. Dumontet is a world reference in the therapeutic antibody and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) fields of research. He has a critical and constructive outlook on the clinical applications and development of ADCs and is involved in numerous international events in the field. He recently co-authored a review article on ADCs (« Strategies and challenges for the next generation of antibody-drug conjugates », Nat. Rev. Drug. Deliv. Review, 16(5), 315-337, 2017). Prof. Dumontet’s laboratory regularly collaborates with major European players in the immuno-oncology field (such as Roche, Sanofi, Servier and Pierre Fabre).
Prof. Benoît Joseph, PhD Scientific Advisory Board member Co-founder of Mablink Bioscience
Prof. Benoît Joseph is Professor of Organic Chemistry and Director of the SMITh lab at the Chemistry and Biochemistry Institute (ICBMS) of the University of Lyon (France).
With more than 25 years’ experience in chemical synthesis of cytotoxic compounds and more broadly in medicinal chemistry, Prof. Benoît Joseph is a key contributor regarding drug-linker chemical synthesis and the identification of new cytotoxic entities. He is the author of more than 90 peer-reviewed scientific publications and several patents.